About Me

I live in Paoli, Pennsylvania with my two children, Hope and Vance. I was born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, raised in Gulph Mills, and have lived in Philadelphia and on its Main Line area for most of my life. I have a B.A. in Communications, magna cum laude, from Howard University and a J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center.
My first novel, Chasing the 400, was released in February 2006. The novel is the story of Vera and Bobby Marshall, two African American siblings from a working class neighborhood on the Main Line, who try to make their dreams of a better life come true in the 1950s despite the obstacles that Philadelphia’s Black Bourgeoisie throw in their way. See more about Chasing the 400 at www.TheElevatorGroup.com. To manage my creative pursuits, I started The Elevator Group, LLC, which is a publishing and development company that is dedicated to helping people rise above and live an abundant life.
In January 2006, I received the 2006 Woman of Distinction Award from the Barristers Association of Philadelphia, the local affiliate of the National Bar Association, for “exemplary service to the community through the practice of law” and “impressive personal accomplishments as an African American attorney.”
Currently, I serve as Executive Director of the Institute for Educational Equity and Opportunity in Washington, D.C., a research, education and training organization that focuses on K-12 public school finance issues, and I maintain a private law practice in Philadelphia, Pa. I am also an adjunct professor at Villanova University School of Law where I teach Education Law. I previously spent nine years at Villanova Law School as Assistant Dean for Academic Support and as a legal writing professor.
I am a member of the Board of Directors of the Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia; President of the African American Parents Group of the Tredyffrin-Easttown School District; Counsel to and member of the Main Line Chapter of the NAACP, member of and former Counsel to the Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Counsel to and Steering Committee member of 2000 African American Women Political Action Committee, and member of the Chester County, Pa. Chapter of Jack & Jill of America, Inc. I attend Mt. Zion AME Church in Devon, Pa., where I am a member of the Steward Board.
I have also worked as press secretary for Robert Casey during his successful 1986 campaign for Pennsylvania governor, a reporter for The Charlotte News, and Editor of Higher Education Publications for the National Education Association. I have served as a media consultant in numerous political campaigns.